The 10 most interesting things to see and do in Somiedo

Somiedo, in the south of Asturias, is a true paradise. It was the first Asturian area to be declared a Natural Park, in 1988, and twelve years later, in 2000, it was declared a Biosphere Reserve.

Somiedo is an ideal place for contact with nature, and to become aware of the rural environment and its people.

It is also one of the few places in Asturias to have two villages awarded as Exemplary Villages by the Princess of Asturias Foundation: Villar de Vildas, in 2004, and Santa María del Puerto, in 2021.

Top 10 things to see and do in Somiedo

La Pola Somiedo, capital of the council of the same name, is a quiet village. With its charming and historic parish church of San Pedro, its bridge over the river and its accessible path, La Pola Somiedo is a typical scene of a well-kept mountain village.

A visit to the Somiedo Natural Park Interpretation Centre and the Casa del Oso (Bear House) is a must.

It is also the birthplace of the enlightened Álvaro Flórez-Estrada, a lawyer, economist and politician of great importance, who lived between the 18th and 19th centuries, and whose birthplace is today a beautiful rural accommodation.

The villages of Somedano are characterised for being clear exponents of the traditional legacy they have received and for being villages with a route, that is to say, in all of them there are paths that connect them with some other part.

Vaḷḷe/Valle del Lago is no exception. This quiet village is the gateway to Lago del Valle, which is approximately 6 kilometres away. It is 6 kilometres of history, ethnography, traditions, flora, fauna, geology and landscape that will undoubtedly leave you impressed.

Saliencia is another of those areas of Somiedo that has a beautiful route. The lakes of Saliencia are deservedly famous for being one of the most beautiful places in Asturias. You can get to know them on an 8-kilometre circular walk, simple and suitable for everyone.

The Saliencia lakes are located in the heart of the Somiedo Natural Park. They are a group of four lakes of glacial origin - Cueva, Calabazosa, Cerveriz and Almagrera -, which have been declared Natural Monuments, within the framework of the Somiedo Biosphere Reserve.

The Braña de La Pornacal and the village of Viḷḷar de Vildas are closely linked, so much so that one and the other can hardly be enjoyed or understood separately.

So it is very worthwhile to do the route that linksViḷḷarde Vildas with La Pornacal, which is considered the largest and best preserved of all the brañas in Somiedo. It is also the one with the largest number of cabins, 33 in total. (In our header photo, a photograph of the La Pornacal braña ©Camilo Alonso).

Retracing your steps, you will arrive again at Viḷḷar de Vildas, a beautiful village that was named Exemplary Village of Asturias in 2004.

The brañas somedanas are an eternal discovery. A fascinating journey into the past, with a lot of substance. Fortunately, many brañas are preserved in Somiedo, and this will allow you to delve into this unique culture.

One of these brañas is that of Mumián, which you will reach on a beautiful route that begins near the village of El Ḷḷḷamardal, where you will start your route on foot. From the village of El Ḷḷḷamardal, gently ascending, you will reach the Fuente'l Cañu, in the braña de Mumián, where you will have the immense pleasure of discovering the olleras, the constructions that were once used to preserve milk at a low temperature thanks to the coolness of the running water.

The Braña de Sousas is another of Somiedo's mythical places. You can reach it, going up from El Vaḷḷe/Valle del Lago, after passing through very interesting places such as the Braña de Fuexo and the waterfall of the river Sousas. Or you can also find it coming down from Santa María del Puertu.

At an altitude of 1500 metres, this braña, which belongs to the inhabitants of Urria, is made up of around twenty corros, the oldest construction model. The corros are circular huts arranged in several rows of stone, and topped by a false dome of slabs, which is covered with tapinos - pieces of grass that improve insulation and waterproof the construction. The corrals are grouped in pairs, one for the shepherd and the other for the young animals.

The Ecomuseumof Somiedo shows you a unique culture and a unique world, and it also has a unique configuration, since it has three different venues.

One of these nuclei is Veigas, a village located in the valley of the river Saliencia, where there are three houses that still conserve the "teito de escoba", or roof of the broom, and which have ancient structure and furniture.

Another of the sites of this ecomuseum is in Caunéu, a village located in the vicinity of La Pola Somiedo with the Somiedo pass. Here, the old school, built in the middle of the 20th century, was used to show the different crafts of the council, as well as the history of the building and of the livestock transhumance.

Also, in the fairgrounds of La Pola Somiedo, four exhibitors have been set up in the form of teito huts, but with glass walls.

La Malva is the historic hydroelectric power station in Somiedo. It was the first electric power station in Asturias; it was a pioneer in the generation of renewable energy, using water from the rivers and lakes of Somiedo; it was the first one in which a woman worked, and it is one of the few in the world to be located in a Biosphere Reserve.

The building, both on the outside and inside, is really beautiful, and responds to the aesthetic and functional parameters of the constructions linked to the industrialisation experienced in Asturias at the dawn of the 20th century.

Moreover, the visit to La Malva, which can be arranged by appointment, is a suitable activity for the whole family, as it is entertaining and very educational.

If there is one thing that Somiedo has in terms of landscape, it is a lot of charm, and also the possibility of contemplatingsplendid panoramic views from a series of viewpoints.

They are viewpoints in special places, whose views will give you the sensation of being immersed in a virgin and untamed nature, where human presence has been very respectful with the environment.

From the Príncipe viewpoint, inaugurated in 1990, in La Peral, to the Infanta Sofía viewpoint, inaugurated in 2021 in the vicinity of Santa María del Puertu, you have a varied menu of places to choose from: Aguino viewpoint, Lake La Cueva, Coto de Buenamadre, Orderias, Alto de San Lorenzo, Robléu or Castro, among other options.

The village of Santa María del Puertu in Somedano was awarded as Exemplary Village 2021 by the Princess of Asturias Foundation. And the fact is that this place, exponent of the traditions and the cowboy culture, is a model of population fixation and adaptation to the new times.

Located inthe highest part of the Somiedo river valley, at an altitude of almost 1,500 metres, it has the physiognomy and atmosphere of a mountain livestock farming village, and is an ideal place to take a break on the way, and to soak up the unique landscapes of Somiedo.

Bordering the province of León, it is also a place of passage for mountaineers and walkers, hiking and mountain enthusiasts, who enjoy the numerous routes in the area.

Come to Somiedo Nature Reserve and you'll feel like you're in paradise!